When it comes to bullpens, a reliever’s best ability is reliability. Matt Belisle, save for multiple hiccups last season, has been consistently productive for the Rockies since 2009. He has posted a 3.70 ERA and appeared in 326 games, making him an iron man for the Rockies’ relief corps.

Belisle’s contribution on the field and clubhouse leadership, especially with the loss of closer Rafael Betancourt to elbow surgery, prompted the Rockies to pick up his $4.25-million mutual option on Monday’s deadline.

There are currently no plans to work on a multi-year deal that would lower Belisle’s salary next season, and the club is not looking to trade him. The Rockies want his veteran presence in a bullpen that they are trying to rebuild. Rex Brothers and Adam Ottavino are among those who will be back. Wilton Lopez and Mitchell Boggs are both eligible for salary arbitration.

SAN DIEGO – Grim-faced Rockies manager Walt Weiss, never a man to waste words, was in an even less talkative mood after his club lost a 4-3 heart-breaker to the Padres Friday night at Petco Field.

It was hard to tell whether a possible blown call my third-base umpire CB Buckner in the ninth inning was responsible for Weiss’ mood, or whether his club’s failure to close out a very winnable game was the culprit. Probably both.

The Padres won by scoring twice in the ninth inning off closer Rex Brothers, who appears to have lost his edge in recent appearances. It was Brothers’ first blown save since taken over for Rafael Betancourt as the full-time closer. Chase Headley led off by ripping Brothers’ 2-0 fastball into the left-field seats, his home run tying the score 3-3.

Rockies pitcher Rafael Betancourt is making progress with his leg injury. He will throw off the mound Tuesday. (Doug Pensinger, Getty Images)

TORONTO — His mood alone spoke volumes. Rafael Betancourt is making progress with his right groin injury. He was eligible to come off the disabled list on Sunday. That was never going to happen. But during the next homestand? That is a possibility in Betancourt’s mind.

Rockies pitcher Rafael Betancourt is facing a stint on the DL after injuring his right groin Tuesday night. He’s pictured here working against the Cubs in 2011. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

Rafael Betancourt doesn’t believe his right groin injury is serious. There’s no pain, just weakness. But the reality is that it has been bothering him for a month, so a stint on the disabled list remains a distinct possibility. He will undergo an MRI on Wednesday. He talked with assistant general manager Bill Geivett for several minutes following Tuesday’s game.

LOS ANGELES — Juan Nicasio might need a minor league tuneup after failing to pitch more than five innings for the fifth consecutive start. Manager Walt Weiss wasn’t ready to go there after the Rockies’ 7-3 win over the Dodgers on Wednesday night, but it could become a conversation with Tyler Chatwood performing well and Drew Pomeranz making distinct progress in Triple-A.

“I am not sure about that,” said Weiss when asked if Nicasio needed a refresher course in the minors. “It’s not that he’s throwing the ball poorly. It’s just that he needs to be more efficient. The stuff is still really good.”

Added Nicasio, “It’s too many pitches. The manager took me out because I was throwing too many (92 in four innings). I have to do better.”

Brothers, who’s got a terrific fastball and a sharp breaking ball, has discovered that more is less. Like a golfer who finds that a smooth, flowing swing produces better results, Brothers has discovered he’s better when he doesn’t over-throw.

SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. –Lefty Christian Friedrich worked out like a demon during the offseason, determined to make a run at the starting rotation. That’s no likely going to happen now.

Returning from lower-back issues, Friedrich made his first Cactus League start Friday against the Giants. Enormous homers — a solo shot by Hunter Pence in the first and a two-run blast by Brandon Belt in the third — provided evidence that Friedrich is not yet ready for prime time. In three innings, Friedrich gave up four runs on five hits.

HITS: Carlos Gonzalez, owner of the sweetest swing since Ken Griffey Jr., hit a two-run homer in the first, driving in Dexter Fowler. Though CarGo’s swing looked effortless, he drove the ball about 430 feet to center. It was Gonzalez’s second home run.

Across town in Surprise, the other half of the Rockies’ split squad hammered Texas Rangers pitching. Catcher Wilin Rosario launched another homer, this one a three-run shot. It was his second straight game with a homer and third homer this spring.

Lefty set-up man Rex Brothers maintained his 0.00 ERA. He pitched the fifth, giving up a hit but erasing it with a double-play grounder. Brothers needed the work because he’s been so efficient. He set the Giants in order Thursday night, notching two strikeouts. In seven innings, he has 11 strikeouts and just two walks.

MISSES: Right-hander Jhoulys Chacin, Colorado’s opening-day starter, tweaked his lower back while working out on Thursday. As a result, he was scratched from his start in Friday’s split-squad game against the Rangers in Surprise. The Rockies believe Chacin will be fine, but they held him out as a precaution.

Veteran right-handed reliever Miguel Batista’s chances of making the team as a middle reliever took another hit Friday. The Giants pounded him for two homers and five runs in two innings.

UP NEXT: Left-hander Jorge De La Rosa will try to stay in a groove for the third straight game Saturday night when the Rockies host the Padres at Salt River Fields. First pitch is set for 8:10 p.m. (MDT). De La Rosa, who battled command issues early in spring, has a 2.84 ERA.

MESA, ARIZ. — Jorge De La Rosa faced 18 batters in four innings Wednesday, but walked away feeling he had made strides. His mood changed because of his changeup. Facing bases loaded situations twice, De La Rosa used the offspeed pitch to escape. He finished with six strikeouts, also blending in his most effective curveball of the spring.

De La Rosa’s importance to the rotation can’t be overstated, which is why manager Walt Weiss was encouraged. This was a step forward for De La Rosa. Can he build off this and finish spring training strong?

After an off day on Thursday, the Rockies face the Reds at 7:05 p.m. in Goodyear. Jeff Francis, the Rockies’ most effective member of the rotation this spring and the likely home opener pitcher, will start followed by Rex Brothers, Bobby Cassevah, Rob Scahill, Danny Rosenbaum, Edgmer Escalona and Rafael Betancourt.

If Dodgers left-handed slugger Andre Ethier comes to the plate in the seventh inning today, and the game is in the balance, Rockies manager Jim Tracy won’t hesitate to send lefty Rex Brothers out to the mound to face down Ethier.

After a successful Triple-A tune-up, Brothers rejoined the Rockies today. The club sent reliever Carlos Torres down in a corresponding move.

“At the time was sent Rex back, I told him, ‘You are not a guy that we are looking for to throw 1 2/3 innings in the fifth inning of a very one-sided game. That’s not who you are,’ ” Tracy said. “So if Andre Ethier standing up there today and we need to get him out with a couple of guys on and two outs, then I will bring (Brother’s) rear end out there to pitch to him, and get him out. Just like he’s supposed to do, just as (his) resume suggests.”

The Drew Pomeranz project continues with Triple-A Colorado Springs. Playing at Salt Lake City, the left-hander had mixed results in a 7-3 loss to the Bees.

Pomeranz picked up the loss, surrendering three runs on nine hits while striking out seven in five innings. The good news is that he didn’t walk any.

Lefty reliever Rex Brothers took a step forward pitched two perfect innings and struck out two.

Rancho Cucamonga 5, Modesto 2
High-A Modesto starter Leuris Gomez pitched well, retiring the first six batters he faced. He gave up three singles in the third, but then sent down 10 straight batters. His final line: 5 1/3 innings, two runs (one earned), four hits, four strikeouts.

The Nuts’ bats were relatively quiet, but outfielder Corey Dickerson (.350) had a double and DH Jared Clark smashed his 11th homer.

(Double-A Tulsa, Class-A Asheville)
The Tulsa Drillers had the day off, and Asheville’s game against Charleston was suspended in the bottom of the third because of rain with the Tourists trailing 7-3.

There was a bit of good news and a lot of bad news for Triple-A Colorado Springs in it’s 9-5 loss to Oklahoma City on Tuesday.

The good: Rockies Third baseman Chris Nelson, on a rehab assignment as he comes back from an injured wrist, had three hits, including a double, and scored two runs. Left fielder Andrew Brown also had three hits, including a double, with two RBIs.

The bad: Lefty reliever Rex Brothers, in his first start since being sent down last weekend, continues to struggle with command. In two innings, he walked two, allowed two hits and gave up a run. He did strike out five, showing that his dynamic stuff is very effective — when he can harness it.

Rockies lefty Rex Brothers had been called the team’s closer of the future. But first he needs to fix his mechanics and get his mind right.

So it came as no big surprise when Brothers, 24, was optioned to Triple-A Colorado Springs today. Taking his place in the bullpen and on the 25-man roster is right-hander Adam Ottavino.

“Rex definitely needs a period of time to get some things squared away,” manager Jim Tracy said. “He is out of sync. Everything is too fast right now. His body is too fast, his mind is working too fast. He’s in a hurry to get things done.”

PITTSBURGH — Baseball is built on failure. It humbles everyone from stars to prospects. Relievers walk the tightrope every night between breathtaking outs and gasp-inducing collapses.

Rockies’ left-hander Rex Brothers landed on his face Tuesday night, but said today that he’s prepared to get back on his feet. He hasn’t retired any of the last six batters he’s faced, spanning two games, and knows why.Read more…

SCOTTSDALE — The murky bullpen picture continues to clear as manager Jim Tracy said Friday night that left-hander Josh Outman has made the team.

That leaves four locks in the relief corps: closer Rafael Betancourt, setupmen Matt Belisle and Rex Brothers and Outman, who could be used as both a left-handed specialist and multiple-inning reliever. With the Rockies using only four starters until April 15, Tracy has not decided if he will carry an eighth reliever or an extra bench player.

Tracy also revealed that Tyler Chatwood is being considered for a bullpen spot after losing out in the starter derby to Jamie Moyer. Esmil Rogers and Josh Roenicke are considered favorites to land to two bullpen roles, with Alex White, Edgmer Escalona, Chatwood and Matt Reynolds in the mix. With Outman a lock to make the team, the left-handed Reynolds’ chances have decreased. He struggled to get lefties out last season, and hasn’t improved much on those matchups this spring. Chatwood has also struggled with his command, leaving him with an uphill battle.

Outman was acquired from Oakland along with Guillermo Moscoso in exchange for outfielder Seth Smith. Moscoso will start the season in the Triple-A rotation. Outman missed 10 days early in camp with triceps tendinitis. As he recovered, the Rockies no longer viewed him as starter, but rather a potential bullpen weapon.

“I want to compete and help the team win, whether that’s in the the bullpen or as a left-handed specialist. I’ll do it with a positive attitude,” Outman said, adding this camp has not gone as he scripted. “I expected to make the team in the rotation. I was given as good a shot as anybody else. I missed two outings (with the injury) and there was no way I could build back up and catch up at that point.”

PEORIA, Ariz. — Casey Blake, hampered by a stiff neck that kept him off the field for a week, finally got a chance to show what he could at the plate today.

The 38-year-old, battling for a job as the Rockies’ third baseman, went 2-for-5 with a double, a home run and two RBIs in a game against the Cubs’ Triple-A squad. Blake has yet to record a hit in a Cactus League game. He’s acknowledged he needs to make a positive impression in the last two weeks of spring or risk not making the team.

Lefty set-up man Rex Brothers also pitched against the Cubs’ Triple-A team. He threw one inning and struck out all three batters he faced.

Hits: Jordan Pacheco’s pinch-hit two-run homer in the sixth put the Rockies ahead 6-4. He’s hitting .470 (8-for-17) with four RBIs as the Rockies won their six straight Cactus League game. He appears to be a lock to make the roster as a super-utility guy. … Catching prospect Wilin Rosario continued to show why he’s so intriguing, blasting a two-run homer to left field in the second inning For Rosario, the question remains: Will he make the club and play part time behind Ramon Hernandez or go down to Triple-A and get needed at-bats and playing time? … RHP Jhoulys Chacin threw a scoreless three innings, allowing just one hit before leaving the game with a blister on his index finger. … Lefty set up man Rex Brothers pitched a perfect ninth to pick up the save. He’s had a efficient, impressive spring. … Eric Young Jr., trying to make the team as a backup outfielder, showed off his speed, stealing two bases and legging out an infield hit.

Misses: Lefty Christian Friedrich had a tough three innings. The Cubs roughed him up for four runs on six hits, including a three-run homer by Junior Lake in the sixth. In the fourth, Friedrich served up a double and a triple and uncorked a wild pitch in the fourth. The first-round pick from 2008 looks bound for Triple-
A Colorado Springs.

On Deck: At Reds at Goodyear Ballpark (7:05 p.m., MDT). Right-handers Alex White and Guillermo Moscoso, both in the mix for the rotation (or perhaps a bullpen role), are scheduled to pitch.

SCOTTSDALE — The Rockies’ rotation will begin its American Idol-type auditions this week, attempting to narrow the candidates.

Close your eyes at the end of spring training and you can practically see pitching coach Bob Apodaca telling the top five, “You’re going to Houston.”

Five weeks from opening day, the competition begins in earnest, starting with Friday’s 6-to-8 inning intrasquad game. Juan Nicasio continues his remarkable recovery by pitching in Sunday’s intrasquad game. His first official game since breaking his neck on Aug. 5 will be Friday against Oakland at Salt River Fields. The schedule:

SCOTTSDALE — Nolan Arenado looked over at Jamie Moyer’s locker and couldn’t help but wonder.

“Man he’s been doing this for a long time. It’s unreal,” Arenado said. “I was just talking about this with my trainer. He’s old enough to be my dad, and he’s out here competing. It’s great to see.”

Age is just a number to Arenado and Moyer. At 20, Arenado doesn’t see any reason why he can’t break camp with the Rockies despite finishing last season in Class-A Modesto.

“I am here to win a spot, that’s how I am looking at it,” said Arenado, who was the Arizona Fall League MVP, training at Salt River Fields and occupying Todd Helton’s locker. “I want to be on this team and help us win.”

Patrick, a third-generation Colorado native, is back for his second stint covering the Rockies. He first covered the team from 2005-2009, helping chronicle “Rocktober” in 2007 and also following the team’s playoff run in 2009.

Nick Groke has worked at The Denver Post since 1997, as a sports reporter, city reporter, entertainment writer and digital editor and producer, among other newsroom posts. He also writes regularly about boxing, soccer, MMA and NASCAR.